Workmen's advocate. (New Haven, Conn.) 1883-1891, 1887-09-03
THE ULTIMATE OBJECT.

~ S IS~I'~ Wa" 'N"'A
well to the working classes, but who
are very much concerned lest they
be led away by unwise or dishonest
leaders, never tire of telling us that,
without strikes and by means of ar
bitration, the disputes which arise
between Labor and capital might
nearly all be amicably adjusted. In
arbitration they profess to see the
solution of the Labor question. We
do not doubt these people mean well.
Their twaddle is honest enough and
friendly withal, but the trouble is
that they do not understand what
the Labor question is. If they did
they would never dream that it could
be settled or solved by re-arranging
wages. The slavery question was
not settled, and could not have been
settled, by ameliorating the condi-
ton of the slaves. So long as slave
ry existed the evil would remain, and
the slavery question would be unset
tied. John Brown would not have
died, Garrison, Phillips, and Sum-
ner would not have dared reproach
and scorn, in order to better the
condition of the slaves. They did
not strive to gid the negro's chains,
but to break them not to anchor
ate their slavery, but to abolish it.
1t may even be doubted if the man
who, by softening his lot, would try
to make slave contented with his
condition would really be acting
friendly part.
Just as the opponents of chattel
slavery strove not to soften and hui
mamie the bondage of the slave, but
to establish his freedom so the true
Labor Reformer aims, not at merely
re-adjasting and making more fair
the system by which the working
man receives from the capitalist, in
the form of wages, a portion of the
product of his own toll, but he aims
at the abolition of the wage system
altogether. He will not be content
with lettering the condition of the
employe; he would have no employ
ers and no employees. True he re-
cognizes that 80 much must be done
ere this can be wholly accomplished,
that the full fruition of his hopes
must be in the far distant future.
But while realizing this and being
consequently DESTROYS of improving
the present condition of Labor by all
proper means, he willingly lends
himself to anything which holds out
reasonable hopes of doing something
toward this. Yet he never loses
sight of the ultimate end. Thus
movements for the raising of wages;
for the promotion of productive and
distributive cooperation for secur-
ing homes for the working-classes !;
for their full political enfranchise-
ment; all have his hearty and earn
est support. But all the time he
views all these as only means to an
end, and that end the full and COM
plete emancipation of Labor. All
that helps forward the cause is well
come, but the work Of the Labor
Reformer will not be done till no
man shall be servant to another.
1t is not enough that Labor shall
get more of what it produces. Our
demand is that Labor must be its
own capitalist, aud that it shall have
all it produces. 1t is better that
wages shall represent twenty than
ten per cent. of the products -; bet
ter still that they shall represent
forty, or fifty, or sixty per cent, but
Labor's right is the whole product,
and not even ninety-nlne per cent
will do.
Arbitration is useful under pres
ent conditions, md we readily grant
that it is at once better and more
sensible than strikes and lock-outs.
He would be no true friend of Labor
who would not gladly appeal to rea-